Detoxifying the House

[ides]

I have been leaning in this direction for a while- trying to use more natural cleaners and personal products. However I have been inspired to fully detox my house of unsafe cleaners and personal products after watching the documentary "Chemerical". In the documentary a family decided to go all natural with cleaning and personal products for a month. It was really interesting and gave me the oomph to go forward myself. It is also much cheaper to use homemade cleaners than store bought so I figure that is a bonus.

I know there are several of us who lean in this direction. I would like those who are inclined to list what they do in their home clean and personal care wise that is natural, your favorite cleaning recipes, your favorite blogs or websites and any movies/documentaries you recommend.

So far for myself these are the steps I've taken:
Removed almost all commercial cleaners out of the house- I still have Dawn dish soap and Ecover dishwasher tablets. I plan to make my own dish soap in the near future and maybe even try my own dishwasher soap, but I'm not there yet.
Made my own laundry soap
Have a general purpose cleaner of: few drops of essential oil, few drops of dish soap, water and vinegar (about 30% vinegar, 70% water). I've been using this to clean windows, mirrors, counters, stainless steel surfaces, my stove, and other random surfaces.
Mop with a hot water and vinegar mix
Clean my tub/shower and sinks with my general purpose cleaner with some baking soda sprinkled on. I've also used this for the toilet, though I'm thinking about something more specific for the toilet. I have heard of toilet bombs but haven't tired one yet.

Regarding self care products I have some work to do. So far I've:
I've changed our deodorant out to Toms- though I'm not certain that it's actually safe.
Still need to change my face cream, toothpaste, mouthwash, dh's shaving cream, hair gel and shampoo.
I have changed our body soap to a Castile soap and for my face I'm washing it with Dr. Woods Shea Vision (black soap with shea butter).

Websites:
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep - is a cosmetics database that you can search and it will tell you the ingredients and risk factors associated with them of the product.
http://www.labelwatch.com/ - is another database that lists the ingredients of food products. I haven't explored this website yet.

A couple of blogs I've been looking at that have natural recipes and such:
http://www.ourhomemadehappiness.com
http://frugallysustainable.com/
http://naturesnurtureblog.com/

Okay, I have to go pick up O from preschool now. I'm looking forward to see everyone's tips!

[diggitydot]

I love this! I'm not as gung-ho about removing 100% of chemicals from the house because, well... It's impossible. Chemicals occur naturally and they're all over and unavoidable, but I do like to limit what I bring in.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Ok, I constantly struggle with this issue. I tend to flip-flop back and forth between trying non-toxic products, and then having them not work, getting fed up and buying the chemical $h*t. I use a homemade vinegar and essential oil spray for some things, but it really doesn't do the trick for messy stuff. For me it's only useful on mirrors, relatively clean sinks, and appliances OTHER than the stove. I do like Seventh Gen dishsoap and Method laundry detergent... not sure how green and non-toxic those actually are though.

I get really fed up with finding solutions for the stove -- I cook every day and seem to get spills and splashes everywhere. My stove has a constant layer of greasy buildup that I just can't seem to shake, and even if I wipe it down daily I need to do a deep-clean on it pretty regularly. What do you use for that?

I also use the heavy-duty stuff on the bathtub. Ours clogs terribly, and even though we use a drain screen for hair we have had to use Drano on it regularly. So, water drains slowly and buildup happens quickly. No way is some vinegar mix doing anything about that nasty, dingy tub.

Those two things are my household cleaning arch-nemeses.

I'm also a flip-flopper when it comes to body-care products... I can get on board with natural lotion (Everyday Shea and some of the Burt's varieties are good) and body wash (Dr. Bronner's -- but it's so drying!) but haven't found a natural shampoo that can both clean my hair and not strip it of all moisture. And you can rip my Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair night cream from my cold, dead hands. Yes, I'm under 30, but that stuff is magic on uneven skin tone. I guess I will give up the retinol when it's time for babymaking, though. I should probably find a natural solution before then, huh? Ugh. I, too, look forward to hearing other people's suggestions!!

ETA: I just remembered my biggest natural-to-toxic flip-flop-fail. Late this summer we had a spider explosion outside the house. I read up on natural spider repellent and mixed up a big batch of very pungent lavender-mint essential oil spray. I sprayed all our window and door frames, and actually I think it did make a difference in the number of spiders that came inside compared to last year. But that stuff does NOT stick around if you spray it on the exterior of the house. Fast forward a few weeks, and by about the 10th time I had to knock down huge, copious spider webs from our side door/mailbox area (I'm sure our mail carrier hated delivering to us!!) I gave up and bought the toxic stuff. No more spiders.

[poky]

I've seen this deodorant highly recommended: http://www.soapwallakitchen.com/product/deodorant-cream

[ides]

MsSassy- not sure what to say regarding the spiders. I think with a bug infestation I'd probably choose the chemicals too.

I don't cook meat so I guess my kitchen grease isn't too bad. If its greasy I wipe it down with a soapy sponge to cut the grease then wipe down with my multi purpose cleaner. If its stuck on I let it sit a bit to soften. You can scrub it with baking soda too.

For the tub clogging I would recommend getting it snaked. Your landlord might do it or you could get a manual one from a hardware store. I used one in nyc & it cleared the drain. I've never had much luck with draino or other methods with really clogged drains.

Straight white vinegar & baking soda has always done wonders on the grime for me. Skip the alternative cleaners and try those would be my suggestion.

[SoonerTexan]

Try Diatomaceous Earth for bugs. But be very careful not to inhale it while you are spreading it. It's pretty much harmless after that, though I'd make sure little ones can't eat it. Works well. Unless t is bedbugs. Then you are screwed.

[Michele]

Spiders are hard! I had a widows in my other house and the lavender mint oil is the best. But you need to treat for the bugs that the spiders are eating....that's the hard part. Nothing 'natural' kills spiders. You just have to deter them.

I liked Coastal Creations makeup and I think I need to just order more instead of bumping back to Bobbi Brown. I can't use Coastal Creations lotion though. I'm allergic to something in it. I'm also allergic to something in California Baby Sensitive Skin SPF and some of the Burt's Bees lines.

I use Jessicurl hair are products and WILL NOT go back to anything else.

I use vinegar and dawn and baking soda for most things. Though I do use scrubbing bubbles inside the toilet. I'll look up those bombs.

[corn poffi]

Anybody know of a good natural deodorant for men? The BF was instructed to go without, for medical reasons that I don't want to get into. But he reeks, so I wonder if something natural would work.

[poky]

Anybody know of a good natural deodorant for men? The BF was instructed to go without, for medical reasons that I don't want to get into. But he reeks, so I wonder if something natural would work.

Is there a particular ingredient he's supposed to avoid?

[corn poffi]

Not really. They told him to go without anything and see if things improved. But working 28 hours straight while wearing unbreathable scrubs/OR gowns while not wearing deodorant should really be illegal. He smells terrible, and he realizes it, so he's all self-conscious.

[bobk]

Anybody know of a good natural deodorant for men? The BF was instructed to go without, for medical reasons that I don't want to get into. But he reeks, so I wonder if something natural would work.

The Toms of Maine deodorant sticks are pretty good. DW and I have used them for years. I especially like the wood spice scent.

[corn poffi]

Awesome, thanks! I'll pick some up for him! He stopped by the office to prove that he's especially stinky today. Guess I shouldn't be the one complaining about lack of professionalism! Haha

[ides]

The Toms of Maine deodorant sticks are pretty good. DW and I have used them for years. I especially like the wood spice scent.

I'm using Toms too. It works well. Feels a little weird when you put it on- goopy or something. Dh didn't seem to notice the change though. Also I recommend he shave his armpits. It will really cut down on the stink!

[corn poffi]

Haha I'll suggest it and see what he says. The man grows hair like it's going out of style, so I'm not sure he'd want to worry about maintaining shaved pits.